film

Rochester native Robert Forster joins us to talk about his new film, The American Side, a mystery/thriller/noir about a conspiracy involving scientist Nikola Tesla. The film will be screened as part of a special event at The Little Theatre on Thursday.

The American Side kicks off our discussion of summer films, from movies for film lovers, to popcorn flicks and more. Our guests:

Chris Wilmot wants Rochester to become more of a film town. His aim is to bring in mid-budget films, more than a million dollars, to shoot in a new Rochester studio. Others want Rochester to bring in blockbusters like Spider-Man. Still others think it's more realistic to promote smaller films with local talent.

In the middle of the debate are your tax dollars, which are required to lure the marquee films. Our guests discuss the movie scene:

We preview The Little Theatre's upcoming Science on Screen event by talking about Hitchcock's Psycho and psychology in filmmaking.

Our panel of experts discusses about how filmmakers use visual techniques to control the minds of moviegoers. We break down Psycho's famous "shower scene," and explore what rules, if any, exist in modern films. Our guests:

James Cutting, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Psychology at Cornell University

Les Friedman, Ph.D., professor and former chair of the Media and Society Program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Film critic Jack Garner is in studio to preview the Oscars. He shares his selections for the various categories, including Best Picture. He also weighs in on the lack of diversity in the nominees, which has become a growing controversy.

A new documentary, Turn the Page, highlights how a local program helps imprisoned parents connect with their children through literacy

In the United States, more than two million Americans are in prison, and 50 percent of those inmates have children under the age of 18. That means more than 1 in 28 children have a parent in prison, up from 1 in 125 children 25 years ago.

In Ontario County, volunteers have teamed up to help re-connect families through literacy: the Storybook Program offers imprisoned parents the opportunity to record audiocassettes or CDs of themselves reading to their children. The program is the subject of a new documentary called Turn the Page, which has been submitted for the Unite Rochester Challenge. It will be screened at The Little Theatre on February 11.

We discuss the Storybook Program, the documentary, and the prison system in America. Our guests:

Did The Big Short succeed in its mission? The Oscar-nominated film was designed to help Americans -- especially Americans with no background in economics or finance -- understand what caused the 2008 financial meltdown.

Our panel includes several people who saw the film. They articulate what they've learned, and our economics professor determines if the film has accomplished its goals. Our guests:

Amit Batabyal, professor of economics at RIT

Bryan Ball, Woody Battaglia, and Tom Proietti, sharing what they've learned from the film

Sympathy, Said the Shark is a new film written, produced and directed by a couple of guys who grew up across the street from each other in Sodus. They have aimed to create a different kind of thriller with this film, and they join us to talk about their techniques.